So a bunch of us went to 2-for-1 night at the Elks (the "cheap" one downtown where movies play after they disappear from first run theatres) to see Star Trek: Into the Darkness: Da-da-DAH!-da-da-da-da-DAH!

I rather liked it. I've read pros and cons regarding Abrams' AU treatment of the franchise, but have to give him credit for creating "action" movies that are fun to watch. It's my understanding that he was never a trekkie growing up, but he's developing a series worth watching that will stand up to the original series in a way that some of the later TV spin-offs do not. I like the casting, I like the character development, and I liked all the little homages in this one to both the classic, original series, and some of the subsequent movies.

I will honor Monkey in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.~Charles "Darwin" Dickens

The last film passing my eyeballs was Pleasantville, which I have not seen since...a long time ago. It was better than I remember, a real feel-good film with plenty of humour, not to mention some wonderful special effects used to mix colour and black and white.

Before that was Cool Runnings, yet another film I have not seen in forever. In fact, I believe both films were seen by myself around they time they were originally released. they certainly brought back memories for me.

Having both Netflix and LOVEFiLM has certain benefits.

Roland Deschain - Half prophet, half gunslinger, all Pastafarian!

"Since Alexander Pearce escaped, over 250 people have disappeared in the Tasmanian wilderness. No remains have ever been found." - Dying Breed

Just showed In The Loop to the ladypartner last night, very fun flick to me, though it is a little depressing in that it's about idiots (and some perhaps genuinely evil ones) in government starting or failing to prevent war. It's got Peter Capaldi swearing beautifully though, so that's fun. I fancy he's like what you'd get if you crossed db with Roy.

daftbeaker wrote:But if I stop bugging you I'll have to go back to arguing with Qwerty about whether beauty is truth and precisely what we both mean by 'purple'

Any statistical increase in the usage of the emoticon since becoming Admin should not be considered significant, meaningful, or otherwise cause for worry.

For those of you that don't know, our son The Boy is an Andy. He left for university about 18 months ago.

There were tears.

"I don't mean to sound bitter, cynical or cruel; but I am, so that's how it comes out." ~ Bill Hicks."To argue with a person who has renounced reason is like administering medicine to the dead." ~ Thomas Paine."One should not believe everything one reads on the internet." ~ Abraham Lincoln."If you're making a political point wearing a balaclava, you're a c***. It was true for the IRA and it's true now." ~ daftbeaker.

[off topic]My 'boy' joined the Air Force last Tuesday. Was away in Sydney on a training course so will have to make the graduation ceremony [1000km drive away in Wagga Wagga] He has trained and worked in avionics for ~8yrs [helicopters] so should fast-track to a fair degree. [/off topic]

Congratulations, Ravi. I'm sure he must be quite impressively intelligent if he has figured out how to make helicopters fly upside-down.

"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."("Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain.")-- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805)Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.-- Philip K DickOK, now let's look at four dimensions on the blackboard.-- Dr. JoyEnglish isn't much of a language for swearing. When I studied Ancient Greek I was delighted to discover a single word - Rhaphanidosthai - which translates roughly as "Be thou thrust up the fundament with a radish for adultery."

Very funny, especially with my childish sense of humour (there were times I was the only person in the cinema laughing). Not a thought-provoking drama or Oscar winner but enjoyable.

They manage to work in evolution, Napoleon getting fired from a cannon, lots of slapstick violence and the second half is set in London in 1968 with a soundtrack to match. What more could you ask for than little yellow creatures riding corgis round Buckingham Palace to the sound of My Generation by The Who?

Edit - The Queen is voiced by Jennifer Saunders and there's a Pete Townshend tribute guitar smashing at the end

That seems to point up a significant difference between Europeans and Americans. A European says: "I can't understand this, what's wrong with me?" An American says: "I can't understand this, what's wrong with him? - Sir Terry Pratchett

The great thing about Beaker is his ability to provoke while still being decorous, or at least within acceptable rules of conduct - Qwertyuiopasd